Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Tarnos. Honestly, it’s a tough stretch coming up. We’re looking at a long, long run of small, messy surf that’s just not worth suiting up for. The water temperature is sitting at 76°F with an anomaly of 5°F warmer than usual for this time of year at Tarnos - La Digue, so it’s pretty toasty out there, but that’s about the only thing going for us.

The whole run starts with a few tiny, weak pulses. Sunday the 2nd of August has a 2ft swell from the NNW at 6 seconds, with glassy conditions in the morning, but it’s only got weak energy (37) and the wave comment says it all – poor surf conditions. It just doesn’t have the power. That theme continues through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with swell barely hitting 2ft and onshore winds making a sloppy mess. The combined energy stays under 50, so it’s really weak.

There’s a tiny bump on Thursday the 6th of August. The morning shows a 3ft NW swell, period 8 seconds, and for the first time, the wind goes cross-offshore from the NE at about 6 mph. That’s clean, and energy climbs to 80 (still weak-to-moderate). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon gets messy again with cross-onshore wind. That Thursday morning is probably the least bad option in the first week, but it’s not a standout – just a chance to get wet.

Then we slide into another flat and windy spell. Friday through to the end of the first week is all under 3ft, with onshore winds and barely any energy. The weekend of the 8th-9th sees a slight size increase – Sunday the 9th brings a 5ft NW swell in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon, with energy jumping to 281 (moderate). But it’s all rain showers and onshore wind, making it poor. The period is only 6-8 seconds – short period windslop, not a groundswell you can trust. This is more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing.

The second week doesn’t offer much hope. Monday the 10th keeps the 4ft range but the wind is still messy. After that, it drops back to tiny ankle-biters. There’s a brief glassy moment on Tuesday morning the 11th, but the swell is only 2ft and the energy is at 53. The same thing repeats Wednesday morning the 12th – glassy with NNE wind at about 3 mph, but again only 2ft. The rest of the week is a slow fade to nothing: 2ft, 1ft, even down to 0.7ft by Friday afternoon the 14th. The last few days of the forecast see a bit of offshore wind on Sunday the 16th, but the swell is miniscule at 1ft.

So, if you’re desperate, the Thursday morning of the 6th of August is your best bet – 3ft, clean conditions from a cross-offshore breeze. Otherwise, it’s a blank run. For this area, it’s not unusual to see these flat spells, but forecasts can change. Hang tight.

Rusty

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